Beethoven - String Trio No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 3 (1796)

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 - 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire, and span the transition from the classical period to the romantic era in classical music. His career has conventionally been divided into early, middle, and late periods. The "early" period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to around 1812, his "middle" period showed an individual development from the "classical" styles of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized as "heroic". During this time, he began to suffer increasingly from deafness. In his "late" period from 1812 to his death in 1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and expression.
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String Trio No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 3 (1792-96)
dedicated to the Countess of Browne
I. Allegro con brio (0:00)
II. Andante (11:49)
III. Menuetto. Allegretto (17:03)
IV. Adagio (20:51)
V. Menuetto. Moderato (28:57)
VI. Finale. Allegro (32:12)
Grumiaux Trio
Beethoven wrote five string trios, the final being composed in 1798. Most historians posit that Beethoven abandoned the form once he began writing string quartets in that same year. However, we need not consider the string trio an “inferior” form. In the hands of the inventive craftsman Beethoven, the sonic possibilities are considerable even without a second violin. The String Trio in Eb, Op. 3, was Beethoven’s first string ensemble work, modeled after Mozart’s famous Divertimento for String Trio (K.563) of 1788. It brought the young Beethoven international attention. The first movement, Allegro con brio, is in sonata form and moves through a broad theme into a violin/cello duet. The composition proceeds with exciting interplay among the three instruments, to conclude with an ebullient Allegro.
Publisher info:
Ludwig van Beethovens Werke, Serie 7:
Trios für Violine, Bratsche und Violoncell, Nr.54
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, n.d.[1862]. Plate B.54.
Copyright:
Public Domain

[@ilvecchioamicoecollegapaol9089]

00:06 Allegro con brio 11:49 Andante 17:03 Minuetto, allegretto 20:51 Adagio 28:57 Minuetto,moderato 32:12 Finale, allegro

[@geoseehusen6768]

Geppo Gepp 😂😮

[@cristinamaiapm]

Thanks biati

[@goosegoose8982]

To me, this trio is a perfect encapsulation of the essence of Beethoven - at least in his early period. Very functional harmony as he is still in very much in the shadow of Mozart and Haydn but the occasional innovation in instrumentation. The music lives and breathes, it is so characterful without needing any words. You do not need an entire orchestra to give music meaning and emotion, just three players is enough :)

In his piano music, one (good) player is enough.

[@goosegoose8982]

@ this is true

[@jimwinchester339]

Seems very Mendelssohn-ish, no? I'm still listening in the 1rst mvmt. Maybe I'll add more after hearing the rest. Maybe I'll delete this.

[@goosegoose8982]

@@jimwinchester339 yes I suppose your right, although this of course predates Mendelssohn by some 30 years. I do hear parts of the octet in this though!

[@goosegoose8982]

*you’re

[@marcoschrispim3083]

Nunca mais nasceu outro Beethoven. E não envelhece sua primorosidade. Imaginem como não tocavam aqueles músicos em sua época. Wonderful!!!

[@niccolodebernardi8532]

So brilliant. Even in the earliest operas of Beethoven you can hear the thematic power and development, which would flourish so majestically in his maturity. Thank you Maestro, as always

[@mirrors1]

Beethoven IS the MAESTRO. None like him. This Trio is awesome, perfect. And you can listen to some little "fragment" of the latest quartets.

[@ThoseSpacesInBetweenDEPalm]

This is the best performance I've found yet for this near perfect String Trio, thanks for sharing. Love, Laughter, Love

[@jameseckert8590]

When you mentioned "near perfect" that got my attention because I remembered a music critic and writer who declared there were two "perfect" works in existence for string trio Mozart's Divertmento K. 563 and the Schoenberg String Trio Op. 45. If I can find where that comment came from, I'll be back to you with it.

[@katzenGEGENrechts]

Seriously, this is the most beautiful string trio I ever heard.

[@nickyork8901]

A worthy response to the Mozart divertimento certainly!

[@Fritz_Maisenbacher]

Of course it is !!! This is a torrent of sheer beauty ......

[@mcrettable]

has mozart written all over it haha

[@eduardoguerraavila8329]

@@mcrettable Mozart is nothing besides Beethoven.

[@cristinamaiapm]

Why?

[@simonkawasaki4229]

I’ve always loved this work dearly. A jewel.

[@SuperAsalvador]

String Trio No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 3 (1792-96) dedicated to the Countess of Browne I. Allegro con brio 00:00 II. Andante 11:49 III. Menuetto. Allegretto 17:03 IV. Adagio 20:51 V. Menuetto. Moderato 28:57 VI. Finale. Allegro 32:12

[@ThoseSpacesInBetweenDEPalm]

Thank you Aurelio for the breakdown.

[@javieramundarainvitali7525]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful rendition of this great Trio.

[@thomasmyers6291]

Thank you for this wonderful recording. I haven't listened to it in many years.

[@dianagalan8649]

Maravilloso Beethoven! Y superlativa interpretación!

[@bespaul]

Superbe. Quel plaisir de suivre ces partitions sur mon ordinateur. Merci infiniment monsiuer Bartmans.

[@sodality3970]

Simply MARVELOUS !!!! Many thanks for adding beauty to my day !!!

[@johntasha2]

Thank you, Bartje...and especially for including the score.

[@steveegallo3384]

True....Reading along with Ludwig is a pleasure.....Imagine the discipline and perfectionism!

[@jean-jacquesboldini511]

Superbe écriture musicale de Ludwig van Beethoven à l'Âge de 22 ans en 1792 !. Thank you very Much !.

[@jamesmackay8129]

He might have only been 21 (!) when he started the work, since his birthday was in mid-December.

[@maryflox1858]

wonderful!

[@musikinspace]

He already showed some of his favorite patterns he would use later.

[@dr.sette9406]

No doubt this masterpiece has a departing point from the secure haven of Mozart and Papa Haydn but the trip takes a complete original path as it dives into the depths of the human soul that Beethoven seemed to understand above all composers in the entire history of music. Although keeping the classical sonata framework, the music vibrates with a new pathos. Pain, joy, melancholy , hope, despair, all human feelings show up, be in a single sf note or a theme or even in harmonic effects.

[@kniazigor2276]

Extraordinaire legato d'Arthur Grumiaux qui rend son son si "humain" !

[@beeshin9945]

The orchestration really fits well for trio

[@alejomunin6753]

Esto es muy bueno

[@juanmanueldiz764]

02:08 how do you came up with that phrase? So unpredictable... completely gorgeous

[@authenticmusic4815]

2:32 Mozart 35 symphony

[@wodzimierzwosimieta2758]

32:24 - end of exposition from op 74 string quartet.

[@volkerf.sesselmann6783]

Schönes Tempo im 2. Satz

[@jonobester5817]

WOW! But more viola! 🙂

[@NickPorter-ui7st]

Doesn't the 1:57 remind you of the Alla Menchen from the 9th Symphony?

[@davidsm42]

6:00

[@trebfekoon5273]

11:12

[@gerardbegni2806]

I find some pianistic features in the writing of this trio.

[@Eorzat]

There's a lot of pianistic features in the writing of Beethoven's early works. For one, it's just convenient for a student/young composer to think of a piano when composing works for multiple voices. Two, Beethoven was both a pianist as well as a gifted improviser, so a lot of the harmonic voicing in these early works probably came most naturally to him when he was sitting at the piano.

[@tristanstefanovic]

Especially in the violin part in the beginning.

[@gerardbegni2806]

@@tristanstefanovic Yes, you are right. I would like here to refer to an old book by Leibowitz (1951): The evolution of the music from Bach to Scheonberg". This book has been reedited, but perhaps not in ERnglish. Wrining about the Beethoven's violin Concerto op. 61 =, he notes thet some arpeggois are written on purpose in a quite pianistic manner (like the 'Alberti' bass), while arpeggating on the four strings as usual would have been much more brillant and actually easier to perform. Paganin is full of such arpeggios, but they are used within a high virtuoso writing.

[@leonhardeuler6811]

@@gerardbegni2806 I see them in Mozart music too. For example, the beginning of his Haffner symphony translates very easily when you look at a piano.

[@gerardbegni2806]

@@leonhardeuler6811 Yes, you are fully right, but at leats as chamber music is concerned, for me, there is a subtle difference berween ' finding some pianistic festures" and "being very easily trnscribed to piano'. Even in the last Beethoven SQ's, (including the three Rasosumovski and op.96) these are some short sections which can easily be transcribed for piano, but they are not 'pianistic features" in them

[@matthewkwak8934]

This trio would be something right out of Wranitzky!

[@abdullahabouradi914]

32:10

[@katzenGEGENrechts]

I wish I could play in a string trio, but I lose every sense of rhythm as soon as I play.

[@adamnguyen1808]

My cello teacher also tells me to ALWAYS practice with a metronome for the first few months it may seem like you are fighting it but as long as you put effort to play with it you'll get it. After that my teacher says you wont be able to play without one, hope it helped!! Good luck!

[@haraldstein7447]

Learn Rhythm without your instrument and put it together.important.

[@orin4654]

You can do it!

[@memedreams8558]

Wish I could play in Trios/Quartets, but I play Bass 😔

[@hwitt9412]

transpose?

[@kranichauswolfsburg705]

Don't you know "the trout" of Schubert? It's a quintet where a Bass is needed 🎻

[@146sst]

​@@kranichauswolfsburg705 That's the most famous, but there are many more. Vaughan-Williams piano quintet, hummel piano quintet, beethoven septet, dvorak string quintet 2, prokofiev quintet op 39, strauss till eulenspiegel einmal anders op 28, to name a few

[@laurencegray4720]

Speaking as a bass player Meme Dreams, I feel your pain. I play bass with a mandolin and guitar group. Sometimes I have to try to play cello parts on my acoustic string bass. I have had to transpose a few of them to make it easier for me to play them. Since I play piano also, sometimes I am able to play that instrument instead of my bass. Also, last but not least, since Beethoven was my father's favorite de-composer, I am very familiar with most of his music because my father loved to listen to almost anything by Beethoven.

[@adamnguyen1808]

Think I've found my 8th grade ensemble lol

[@abdullahabouradi914]

34:46